Eyes the Color of the Sea
by Robyn Flynn
Summary: just a quick oneshot about the battle of Helms Deep, a young boy and an elf with eyes the color of the sea.


There was noise everywhere, the sound of soldiers shouting and running footsteps. The howling of mothers and wives as their husbands and sons were taken from them in order to make one last stand against the Enemy that was at the doorstep of citadel. Weeping echoed through the halls mingling with the harsh clanging of armor and swords being sharpened. Metal clothed men marched swiftly around, shouting orders, while the silver helmed elves checked their arrows and their blades, talking softly to one another in a tongue that reminded people standing by of waves washing up on sand. Strong but gentle, loud but soft, young but ancient; ageless.

Small children watched, eyes wide, not fully comprehending what was going on around them, while older children hid their tears and put on a strong face for their younger siblings, even as they watched their world fall to the hard, cold ground and shatter into millions of pieces, like shards of glass. They looked strong but inside they were terrified, not sure of their future, of whether they would live to see the next morning or not. Most might not even live through the night.

A young mother hugged her husband tight, fearing she would never see him again, before releasing him. He took her hand, and squeezed, making a silent promise that he would be back. Not a word was said, there was no need. The look they gave each other said more than could ever be put in words. Suddenly the man felt a tugging on his sleeve. He looked down to see his young son, hardly more than five summers old, with his arms spread out, asking to be picked up. The man bent down and hugged his young son tightly. The little boy responded by wrapping his tiny arms as far as they would reach around his father's neck, squeezing tightly. He wasn't sure what was going on, but the little boy knew that it was important to hug his father, as he was going somewhere and needed to be safe. After a long moment, the young father released his son and stared lovingly at him. Slowly he spoke to his son in a voice thick with unshed tears.

"Listen, I have a very important job for you." The little boy nodded seriously. The father continued. "I'm going to go away now for a while, maybe even for a long time. I'm going to need you to take care of your mother while I'm gone, okay? She's going to need a lot of help from you, so I need you to be a big boy. Do you think you can do that?" the boy nodded again seriously and puffed up his chest, ready to protect his mother from anything, even orcs if need be. The young fathers eyes filled with pride and gleamed with tears.

"Good boy. You are so big. I have to go now, okay? I love you very, very much. never forget that. I'll see you soon." The father's voice cracked with the last few words, and he hastily hugged his son tight and rose to his feet. Hugging his wife one last time, he turned and left, to death or victory, he wasn't sure but he prayed that for the sake of his wife and son, it was victory. Soon he was out of sight from his family, but they continued watching the spot where they had last seen him as rain began to fall.

Time passed, how much time, no one was really sure. The refuges that couldn't make it into the caverns below huddled against the walls, flinching at the screams of dying men, and the clash of weapons. The young mother and her son hugged each other tightly, the mother covering her son's ears, trying to stop the noise from reaching his ears.

Suddenly they heard a whipping sound and something flew over the air above them. Seconds later flame and stone was raining down from the sky above them. Screams of pain and terror and the sound of burning wood and stone collapsing was all to be heard.

The little boy screamed and covered his ears with his hands as stone fell around him. When he could see again, his mother was nowhere in sight, and he was trapped under a fallen beam. He screamed and tried to push it off him but it was to no avail. It was getting harder to breathe because of the smoke, and his cries got weaker and weaker. As his vision faded into darkness, he saw a radiant light, pure and soft, coming towards him. The last thing he saw was a silver helm and eyes clear and blue, like the sea. Then everything was black.

The next thing he knew, the little boy was staring up into a face he had never seen before. An elf stared down at him, relief in his eyes. The boy was confused for a few moments, but then everything came flooding back. He looked around, and saw he was in an abandoned house. Surrounding him were several wounded men and elves. Some were lying on the ground, moaning in pain, others were leaning tiredly against the still intact walls, but others were eerily still.

"Are you alright?" the elf asked him softly. He nodded numbly.

"Where is my mama? I have to protect her. Daddy told me too." The elf looked down for a second and then looked back at him.

"I don't know where she is. Maybe she is with the others down in the infirmary looking for you." The young child's eyes widened and he tried to get up. Immediately though he fell back down to the ground as pain flared up in his chest. He looked down, and finding nothing, tried again, with the same results. The elf pushed him gently back down to the ground whispering something in a soft language. A warm feeling spread all over his chest, and the pain which had become almost unbearable, faded a little. The boy blinked his eyes, trying to hold back the tears which threatened to spill over onto his face, hoping the elf wouldn't notice. He looked into his eyes, and smiled softly.

"There is no shame in crying. Even the bravest elves cry." The boy sobbed softly, terror consuming him. Where were his mother and father? What was happening to the city? He felt so alone and scared. The elf held him as he sobbed, salty tears streaking down his dirty face. His sobbing finally softened into small hiccups, and the elf pushed him up gently into a sitting position. He reached under his cloak and pulled out something. Opening his palm the elf showed the little boy what it was.

A leather necklace lay in the palm of the elf's hand with a glimmering silver pearl attached to it. Taking the leather and reaching over his head the elf slid it around his neck. He looked down and saw it, seemingly shining with light all its own, in the dark room. He looked up at the elf in awe.

"This is a very special pearl. It is from a place across the sea, called the Undying Lands. The pearl will give you strength and protect you from all harm. I have worn almost all my life and it has served me well. Now I give it to you, to keep you from all harm." The boy nodded and gazed at the beautiful pearl. Then a thought struck him.

"Won't you need it though?" The elf gave a low chuckle, and shook his head.

"I won't need it, because soon I am leaving for the Undying Lands myself, and there are many pearls there. I can always get a new one. I want you to have this one, to keep you safe." Nodding solemnly, the child wrapped his chubby hand around it, gripping it tightly.

Suddenly a scream echoed through the street outside, and the sounds of conflict neared quickly. The wounded in the room got up as quickly as they could and, helping each other, began to make their way out into the city, heading towards the center of the citadel. The boy noticed that a lot of men didn't move at all. He tried to tell them to get up, but a vicious roar sounded close by, drowning out his words. The elf picked him up and handed the little boy to one of the men. He put on his silver helm, and drew a sword that gleamed in the faint light.

"Go with my friend. He will take you to safety. Remember about the pearl, nothing will harm you." He called to the boy and then turning, the elf ran towards the sounds of battle. The last thing the boy saw of his savior was a raised sword, the light of the raging flames reflecting off of the silver helm and sword, impressing on his mind the image of a fiery warrior, with eyes like the sea.

Epilogue

The battle was long and hard, but the armies of Gondor finally emerged victorious. It was a victory, but with a great cost. Thousands upon thousands of men and elves lay dead on the field of battle, and many were wounded. The city was destroyed and fires were being put out all across Helms Deep. Children wandered the streets, crying and searching for their families. Some were never found. Those who were reunited cried with joy and hugged each other fiercely, seeming to never let go.

The young boy hugged both his parents fiercely from his cot in the infirmary, and told them excitedly about his new elf friend and showed them his pearl. As the elf had promised, it had kept him safe all throughout the night, and he swore never to take it off again. He told his parents that the elf would come visit him soon and then his parents would meet him and maybe he could get a pearl for them too.

But the hours passed and no elf with eyes of the sea came. The boy shrugged it off, saying that he probably needed to rest. He fell asleep that night clutching his pearl, his mind full of thoughts of his savior.

In another part of the city, an elf with eyes the color of the sea stared up into the starry sky, gaze distant and cloudy. He killed many orcs, but finally the weight of his wounds was too much, and he fell among the bodies of his comrades in battle, breathing out one last prayer for the safety of the young boy. The last thing the elf saw was the sun streaming across the battlefield, and a white rider on a white horse.

Then darkness fell, and the eyes that held the sea in them, never saw anything again.


End file.
